Our market is not regulated by an inspector. It is on the county green (park like area next to the court house) and we ask permission each spring to have it there. The vendors decide how long the market will be.

Sorry to hear that you're so limited by the number of days! Hopefully your customers will buy up all you have in a hurry, knowing it may be a while before they can get more. ;-)
We have two nearby farmer's markets that dh and I are hoping to be involved with in the next year or two. One runs 4 hours a day on Wednesdays and Saturdays, from the first week in April (if any vendors have things to sell that early) to early November (if anybody wants to brave the chill). So it's possible that it could run a little over 60 days this year in total, although I think it's typically a little under 55 days a year. There is one small area designated for that farmer's market, and it's empty the rest of the year except for the spring and fall flea markets (which run different hours than the FM, so they don't conflict).
The other farmer's market runs only on Saturdays, but it's pretty much an all-day thing (some are there from about 7 am to 6 pm, I believe), from as early in the spring as the vendors have stuff to sell, until it gets too cold, or until most of the vendors decide they're done for the season, whichever comes first. That farmer's market is set up in an out-of-the-way area of a mall parking lot.
I don't think either town has specific limits on the FMs, just what the vendors agree to with each other and the property owners (if applicable).
Before dh and I get involved, I intend to check whether we're required to have a license/permit for sales, but I strongly suspect we don't need one if we're just doing the farmer's markets. I'm in a rural, agricultural area, so laws are pretty lenient on small farmers here.
HTH!

Our Farmers Markets are set up through the Extension Service and are located by the County Courthouse. One I go to is also organized by the Chamber of Commerce. The main Market I go to on Saturday morning runs from 8-11 and starts on June 21-October 25th. If it doesn't freeze, I bet we will dip into November. Last year, it froze the Friday night before the last market on Saturday. It was almost perfect. I stripped almost all the plants and had a really good day. Two years ago, it didn't freeze until November, we just kept going. We had less and less each week until it froze.

Another market I attend is on Wednesdays and Saturdays and it starts on May 31st and runs through September. It runs from 5-7 on Wednesdays and from 7-11 on Saturdays I usually stop going when I start teaching school. I just don't have enough time to get everything loaded and drive 45 minutes home and them 30 minutes another direction. Although last year, I did take a couple of half days of personal leave to do it!

The third market I attend is on Thursdays and is open from mid June- September. I usually have to stop this one too when school starts. I just can't physically make it. Too much driving!

For the market in my hometown, I started a blog. It is free and I am hoping to add more to it every week.

Here is a link that might be useful: Clay Center Farmers Market Blog

Brenda-

Your inspector system up there is truly a bummer. I think you will find that most of us in the states are limited mainly by our supply of product (how long it lasts into the fall) and our supply of energy (how long WE last). I have never heard of this system that you are describing and I wish you good luck in trying to find a way around it (if possible).

My market runs about 25 weeks, from mid-May through late October, and I go through an approval process each winter prior to opening in the spring. It's pretty informal, but the municipality that owns the parking lot likes to have me come in and state my intentions for the coming year. Thankfully, they have never put restrictions on the length of our season.

Good Luck. Do you have any contacts "higher up" that can help you work this out for 2008?

Carin

I go to two markets here in central KY. One starts the last weekend in April and goes through the last weekend in October. The other market usually starts the second or third weekend in April and usually goes until the weekend before Thanksgiving. By then we're so cold and tired that we're ready to call it quits for the year even if we still have some fall veggies.

Janet

Do you all have health guidelines that you must follow...like bringing to the market a freezer to put meat in or a fridge for your eggs? And, you cannot bring pies that need to be refridgerated like a pumpkin pie (unless it was made in an inspected kitchen) and you have a fridge/freezer along with you to the market? These are a few of our regulations.

We just heard that the head of the inspectors has informed all the markets in Manitoba that it will be business as usual this year...which means that when we apply for our permit for this year we should be allowed to have the same number as last year. So, if this is so, our inspector will have to 'change' her mind. This does not mean that it will be equal throughout the province this year, since in the past, some inspectors only allow 14 (even though their vendors would like more) while other inspectors have allowed the markets in their control to have upwards of 35-40 in a season. No equality is being shown. We understand that both provinces, Saskatchewan and Ontario (on either side of our province) have unlimited mnumber of market days available to their vendors. Ultimately this is what we would also like to have. Why not?

I am finding it interesting how many days each market can be open south of us...as I assume that those responding to my question live in the USA.

Brenda

Our Health Dept. doesn't regulate how many market days we have. Our market decides when to open and when they will stop the season. It's pretty flexible on either end.

We do have regulations that govern the handling of meats, eggs, etc. The meat has to be processed in a plant that has a government inspector and packaged there in clear vacuum wrap and frozen. The meat has to stay in a freezer while at the market. Eggs stay in refrigerators or coolers kept at a certain degrees. We can't sell any baked goods with custards, cream cheese, etc. unless we have a certifed kitchen and they're kept at a certain temperature while being sold.

Janet